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Friday, September 26, 2014

WHERE'S MY SILVER SPOON?

I’ve led an interesting life—or so it seems to me—but if I
ever come upon the woman born with the silver spoon in her mouth that should
have been in mine, I’m getting that spoon back!

My parents on their wedding day.No, I don't understand the the pose either.

My dad was a widower with four kids when he and my mom
married. Mom was 23 years younger than Dad and two years younger than her
eldest stepson. Yes, we’re an odd family (in so many ways). They lived in a
frame house in Dodson, Texas, which went from a thriving community to almost a
ghost town once the new highway bypassed Dodson. My dad managed the cotton gin
there.

My folks and youngest half-brother, Herschel, in California several years before I was born

When I was about ten months old, my parents moved to
Southern California. My four half-siblings had moved there earlier. We settled
in Oildale, a suburb of Bakersfield. My dad worked first as a carpenter and
then as a building contractor. The next house he built was always going to be
for us, but the housing shortage always won and—after hasty discussion—he and
my mom couldn’t turn down the profit of a sale.

One of my favorite photos of my parents and me

In the meantime, I had gone from healthy baby to puny
toddler and child. In addition to asthma and allergies, I contracted San
Joaquin Fever and it settled in my lungs. Eventually, doctors told my folks we
had to leave the valley or I’d die. I was so ill that I don’t remember the
move.

I do remember making up adventure stories (starring me, of
course) while having to rest and whenever I was sick. My dad taught me to read
early as he placed a high value on education. Mostly I had comic books with only a few books
such as HEIDI, A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES by Robert Louis Stevenson, and the Little
Golden book of A CHILD’S LITTLE BOOK OF PRAYERS.

To improve my health, we moved to West Texas where my dad
again managed a cotton gin. After three years in small communities, Dad decided
to buy cotton and we finally were able to have our own home in Lubbock. By this
time, my younger brother had been born and was four month old. Poor Dad. Imagine
having babies spread over a forty-year span. No, thanks! Poor Mom. She was
quite surprised to find herself expecting a second child ten years after the
first.

Fifth grade

In the meantime, I had discovered there was more to life
than Roy Rogers (sorry, Roy) and had gone on to read any book I could get my
hands on, mostly Nancy Drew titles. I waffled between wanting to be a girl
detective a la Nancy Drew or a famous writer like Carolyn Keene. Well, I never
said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer—I had no idea there was no Carolyn
Keene.

In Lubbock, I sort of enjoyed school, especially English and
reading and history classes. Fie on math and PE! With my dad’s encouragement, I
signed up for journalism and eventually became editor of the school paper and
won some awards. Turns out the reason Dad wanted to live in Lubbock was so that
my brother and I could live at home and go to Texas Tech. I started but only
have my associate degree, which was a big disappointment to my dad.

Mom with my brother Donald

Blah, blah, blah, fast forward a few years. I was lucky
enough to marry my Hero, the older brother of a classmate. We lived in the
Dallas area and each of our daughters was born there. We moved a lot, sometimes
for stupid reasons such as we wanted a larger yard or a smaller yard or closer
to a park.

Once we moved to Cupertino, California, so Hero could get
out of defense work. The company there then used his name to secure a defense
contract. We might have stayed there but our eldest daughter developed a
dislocated hip and had to have surgery and be in a body cast for nine months.
Being young, we blamed California and wanted to come “home.”

Another time, Hero was wooed by a company in Orlando,
Florida, but we concluded after two-and-a-half years there that we’re Texans at
heart and returned. Although I’d been a stay-at-home mom until we moved to
Florida, while there I was a feature columnist and reporter for a small
newspaper. I enjoyed the job, but didn’t make much money—but I met tons of
interesting people. The good thing was that the owner-editor who recruited me
allowed me to work around my asthmatic kids’ sick days and school hours.

Our daughters

We moved back to Texas and I went back to being stay-at-home
mom. That is, until our eldest daughter chose to go to Texas Christian
University. Tuition sticker shock! I went to work for an emeritus professor who
was managing editor of a psychology journal. By this time we’d purchased an
orchard in Parker County and planned to build there. About a year after we’d
moved, I went to work for the local tax assessor collector as bookkeeper. Yes,
I remember I said I didn’t like math, but I meant advanced math. There’s
something soothing in the fact that two plus two is always four.

For several years I’d been writing a romance. I
finished that one and started another. By this time I’d heard about Romance
Writers of America and joined the national organization and a local chapter,
then a second local chapter. Wow, what a shock to hear interesting programs on
character arc, plotting, character development, point of view, and more. There
are rules? Who knew?

Through friends I met in the local RWA chapter, I made my
first sale to Kensington in 1998. I was not that happy with the severely cut
version of BE MY GUEST, but when rights reverted to me, I revised the book to
include the suspense portion that had been chopped out and removed a couple of
trite phrases that had been inserted. I published two more books and a novella
with that publisher.

Now I’ve a total of eighteen books published, several box
sets, and two audio books. My latest effort is a companion duet box set with
Jacquie Rogers titled MAIL-ORDER TANGLE. The first in the duet is mine,
MAIL-ORDER PROMISE, about Kage Johanssen and Ellie Dickerson. The second,
MAIL-ORDER RUCKUS by Jacquie, is about Matt Johanssen and Laura Dickerson. The
two heroes are cousins and the two heroines are sisters. http://amzn.com/B00MZ6ZRXC

In a few weeks, the boxed set WILD WESTERN WOMEN will release and includes novellas
by Callie Hutton, Kirsten Osbourne, Sylvia McDaniel, Merry Farmer, and me as
well as bonus short stories by a couple of us.

Later this fall, my Christmas novella titled
STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS will be released. Unless I start writing faster while
laid up after extensive ankle reconstruction, WINTER BRIDE won’t be published
this year as scheduled. (Writing with the keyboard balanced on my stomach is not
as easy or as productive as I’d hoped.☺)

Hero and me on the ferryfrom England to Ireland

A year ago, Hero and I downsized to a home in Hurst, Texas
near my best friends. We love living here and feel fortunate that our daughters
are not far away in Fort Worth and Greenville. Our home is shared by our rescue
pets of a Shih Tzu dog Webster, large tuxedo cat Sebastian, and Max, a Manx-Siamese
mix cat. Although my mom didn’t like to read until she was retired and my aunt
gave her a copy of THE THORN BIRDS, she became an avid reader and my devoted
fan, My parents have both passed on, but I know they’d be happy I’ve continued
writing.

8 comments:

Caroline, you had me laughing all the way through this and sniffling at the end -- just like your stories do. What a wonderful look at your life. Thanks so much for giving us a peek at the lady behind the pen. :-)

Caroline, what a life you've had! So interesting! Now, I can't imagine not wanting to read--like you said your mom was until she read The Thorn Birds--and it seems you've ALWAYS wanted to read! I didn't know there wasn't a real "Carolyn Keene" either. Oh, how I loved those Nancy Drew stories! I couldn't get enough of them. I tried Trixie Belden, but she just didn't do it for me like Nancy did. LOL

I am so anxious to read this book you and Jacquie did together. It looks fantastic, and I always love "family connections" like what you have in there.

I'm so glad to get to know you better. My sisters were 10 and 12 when I was born. You're brother probably thought he had two moms, right? LOL

Oh Caroline, I loved your mobile life and all the crazy reasons you moved. Your family dynamics are so interesting--and entertaining, I might add.Your upcoming winter story looks wonderful. Honestly, I can't imagine writing the way you've had to since your ankle surgery. I don't blame you for holding off on that second story.Loved reading about your childhood. All the very best to you.

Caroline--I'm so glad you successfully got resettled in your new home. You do sound very happy, as I know you are as a natural thing.Oh, yes, I almost forgot that we're probably "cousins", having events and places in our lives resembling. So, howdy, Cuz.I do love those photos. Your parent on that IBeam? My Lord, were they really up there or was that photos hopped. Oh, wait..no such thing back then.My favorite is you with your parents. Your dad is a classic 50s man in those wonderful slacks and shirt...and so handsome. Your mother is pretty and seems quiet and a little shy.You? Love those pigtails.Thanks for sharing all this...

Carolyn - "Blah blah blah fast forward a few years." LMAO You do crack me up. One of the most interesting women I have ever known, and you talk about your life in such a fast-paced, entertaining manner, it was like your editor at the newspaper told you make it short and to the point.I loved it. Very uplifting. Alas, mine will be the opposite. And since I have the flu, I am too tired to go in and try and make it 'fun and entertaining'. Oh, well...

I had to smile at the photo of you at ten. You still make that same expression. And I love the photo of you and Lilburn on the ferry in Ireland. You need a re-shoot on your next trip there. (((hugs)))